New Orleans Saints' moves at linebacker are welcome news

When Steve Spagnuolo was asked to discuss the personnel of the Saints' defense back in January, he wisely called an audible. Just days on the job, he told Times-Picayune colleague James Varney that he hadn't had time to properly evaluate the team's personnel to talk about the unit he would soon be coordinating.

Curtis Lofton

"It would be unfair for me to even say," he said. " ... I certainly wouldn't look backwards and draw any opinion on anyone's season."

Since then Spagnuolo, like everyone in the Saints organization, has remained silent as the bounty scandal has rocked the organization to its foundation. Yet the Saints' actions in free agency the past two weeks have spoken volumes: New Orleans wants a new linebacker corps.

Spagnuolo's all-out blitz on the free-agent linebacker class has stoked the enthusiasm of Saints fans and eased the frustration of the most turbulent offseason of the Coach Sean Payton-quarterback Drew Brees era.

The signing of Chris Chamberlain, David Hawthorne and Curtis Lofton spoke louder than words. With each signing, Spagnuolo's opinion became clear: He believes the Saints need better play at the second level of their defense.

The trio of Chamberlain, Hawthorne and Lofton combined to start 43 games and make 226 tackles last season. These aren't roster fill-ins or Plan B signings; these are starting-caliber players.

This isn't a tweaking. This is an overhaul.

And it appears to have less to do with the potential ramifications from the NFL's bounty investigation than it does the need for an upgrade at a position the club has neglected in recent years.

If this were all about finding insurance for a potential suspension to starting middle linebacker Jon Vilma, then wouldn't team officials be making similar moves to bolster other positions?

David Hawthorne

Will Smith also is believed to be implicated in the scheme, and there's a chance the Saints' best defensive end could also face sanctions from the league. Smith is every bit as important to the Saints' defense as Vilma, but New Orleans hasn't made wholesale signings at defensive end.

No, this landing of linebackers is a clear indicator of the club's commitment to improve that position, and who could blame them?

The Saints haven't sent an outside linebacker to the Pro Bowl since Mark Fields and Keith Mitchell went in 2000. The mindboggling drought has served as a source of frustration for long-time Saints fans who grew accustomed to greatness at the position in the Dome Patrol days of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

New Orleans linebackers last season combined for only seven sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions. Those are the kind of numbers Rickey Jackson would make by himself in a given season.

Something had to be done, and it didn't take Spagnuolo long to address the problem.

Lofton was the top linebacker in the free agent market. He has never been to a Pro Bowl but he's that caliber of player.

Hawthorne is a notch below but appears to be on the verge of a breakout campaign.

Chris Chamberlain

Chamberlain started 13 games last season, knows Spagnuolo's scheme and will help on special teams.

After years of trying to cobble together units with undrafted rookie free agents and aging veterans, the Saints have made a full-scale commitment to fix the position.

Sure, free agency is crap shoot. Heaven knows, the Saints have been down this road before. From Derrick Rodgers to Dhani Jones to Dan Morgan, the Saints have turned over their share of free-agent rocks over the years in their pursuit of linebacker help. More often than not, their efforts proved fruitless. As is often the case in free agency, the goods were more trash than treasure.

There's reason to believe this group is different. For one, they're younger. Lofton is 25, and Chamberlain and Hawthorne are 26 -- and all appear to be on upswings in their careers. Secondly, they're productive. Each led or ranked among their team leaders in tackles last season. And third, they're durable. In their four seasons, the trio has combined to miss a total of nine games out of a possible 256.

Young, productive, durable players are what you're looking for in free agency. The career arcs of these guys is nothing like that of Morgan or, say, Brian Simmons.

Jonathan Vilma

Lofton and Hawthorne have played primarily at middle linebacker. Because of their size and instincts, most scouts believe they are best suited to play inside. Which begs the question: What does this mean for Vilma?

Vilma, after all, is the Saints' defensive captain and their leader in tackles for three of his four seasons. Team officials have insisted they have no plans to release Vilma, but inquiring minds have started to wonder.

These things have a way of working themselves out. The Saints had an abundance of running backs last season and made it work just fine. No one is going to complain if they have too many good linebackers. The Saints haven't had that problem for more than two decades. This new linebacker corps might not be the Dome Patrol, but it could be the closest thing the Saints have had since then, and that's welcome news to Saints fans.